
Run Money-Saving or Money-Making Process Improvement Projects for Yourself & Your Clients [How To]
I could release this as a WSO I guess, but I'll share it here for free. I've added a bunch of explanatory stuff onto my Quora answer, because there I was talking to a fellow Operations Management expert and I'm likely not here.
What I'm going to talk with you about is a process, and the individual steps of that process, that were the backbone of the Operations Management program I went through for two rather hellish years in 1994-1996. Virtually all of my problem solving power comes from this program. 50 people began the Opman program; 30 graduated. 40% failure rate. The workload was too high. 10 and 11 courses a term. They really beat this stuff into us.
So when you are wondering how to help your client or your own business in the most effective way, this is how you go about doing it. Note that this process kicks out the idea of a preconceived solution. You have NO idea what your client's problem really is...all you've seen or heard of are a bunch of symptoms. But symptoms are not root causes. We can run around trying to fix symptoms all day, all month and all year and really fix nothing.
That's why we have to get to the root problem. The thing that is causing all these other issues. All the smoke.
Let me share with you a very graphic and disturbing bit of imagery that will forever make the point of what I'm trying to teach you. I bet you remember this 10 years from now (sorry).
Imagine a homicidal man with a rifle has climbed into a campus bell tower. He begins methodically firing at students, injuring and killing several.
Other students, and faculty, notice this event. They freak out, duck into cover, and notify the police. Within minutes, several police vehicles arrive. The policemen deploy to identify the shooter's location and eliminate the threat.
Now let's freeze frame right here.
What are the symptoms that there is a problem?
In no special order, here are a handful:
1. The sound of rifle fire (gunshots)
2. Corpses -- relatively near and around the bell tower
3. Wounded people -- relatively near and around the bell tower
4. Police sirens & vehicles on one side of the campus and tower
5. Policemen fanning out from that one side of the campus and tower
6. Scared students hiding behind trees, buildings and other cover--and otherwise behaving in odd ways compared to normal
7. (If we could as invisible observers get close enough to view these unusual and notable pieces of evidence) Shell casings on the bell tower floor.
I'm sure you've thought of other symptoms.
Now if we concentrated on just one of these symptoms in an attempt to solve the problem, what would happen?
1. Sound of rifle fire - Let's eliminate the sound of rifle fire. It's scary. We don't want to hear it. Let's put up sound baffles, and issue earplugs to everyone.
2. Corpses - We can't have those lying around. They frighten people, and will eventually spread disease. Let's remove them to the morgue.
3. Wounded people - These casualties are making a lot of noise, making a mess, and disrupting the educational process. Let's organize them into one spot and treat them for their wounds.
4. Police sirens and vehicles - These alarm people and take up space that should be for other use on the campus. Let's get them out of here.
5. Policemen - Too many police around and many people get concerned about a "police state". Let's limit the number to one, OK?
6. Scared students hiding in cover - Let's create a training course to motivate the students, induce them to feel more safe, and encourage them to participate more in their campus activities.
7. Shell casings - Let's pick up this unsightly litter.
By concentrating solely on each symptom, we see the solution completely fails to deal with the root problem, don't we? In fact, each "solution" is ludicrous when we know what the root cause of them is. And in the act of implementing each of these solutions, we are probably sending more people into danger!
Even if we could figure out that a crazy man in the bell tower with a rifle was the real problem, by focusing on only one symptom we could be fatally misdirected. What if we only looked at the position of the police vehicles? Our attention would be in the wrong spot, wouldn't it.
Thus it is with your business improvement project. Don't just leap at fixing a symptom merely because you can.
So it is critical to dig. Get all the data you can. Ask "WHY?" Keep asking "Why?" Ask "Why?" seven or eight or nine times. Yes, you'll probably get down to "To save the world", but on the way you will come across your real problem.
Notice in the above example how ONE MAN, acting alone, is causing so much trouble for many, many other people. How many distractions away from the root cause are created by his actions. People miles away are likely caught up in a traffic jam they have no idea the source of. How much there is to look at and get caught up in "fixing" if you aren't careful.
A troll in the forum can act in the same way. They are calm and amused behind their troll facade. But many members are blowing up, billowing smoke and creating a big distraction. Should we censure and ban the members, who are creating the symptoms of all that smoke? Or should we look for the root cause?
Just because we can offer some kind of a solution, eg. a website, or SEO, or video marketing, or sales training, doesn't mean we should. If the client's business model is totally flawed, for instance, none of those things will really help.
Obviously, we need a repeatable and effective means and process for filtering through the symptoms and reach that core problem.
I was trained in the SREDIM methodology (say it kinda like "Shred-Em") and have used that for 20 years.
S = Select - what process improvement project should you work on? Where will you get the biggest bang for your buck? Gather data and analyze what's really going on--not what people tell you is going on--and determine your focus. This is about Prioritizing your effort.
R = Record - zoom in on your subject area and record all the data on what is happening. People will lie to you with hearsay, not because they are bad people but because they are interested in self-preservation. Telling you the truth could be a career-limiting move. But by recording the data, you will uncover what's really occurring.
For process flowcharting, use the accepted symbols (for anyone who's reading and isn't an Operations Management expert, this article explains: What do the Different Flowchart Shapes Mean?)
That way you and anyone else who comes after you can pick up your Recording work and follow along without getting confused.
E = Examine - This is where you analyze the data collected in the Record step. See if Pareto's Law applies. Are there outliers that should be taken into consideration? What does the data indicate in terms of the direction of a potential solution?
Be careful not to fall into the data mining trap. That's where you see and pull data that supports your pet theory, and ignore data that doesn't help. Be dispassionate. Follow the data and the facts, not your preconceived theories.
In this stage, you want to get at the PROBLEM. To this point, you have likely seen many SYMPTOMS of problems; these are not the same as the problem itself. The problem is the root cause of all those symptoms.
D = Develop - Flesh out several alternative solutions to the problem. Be as creative as you like. How does the shape of an egg apply to a solution for the problem? And the bars of a jail cell? These are examples of stimulating creative solutions. Do not come up with a single possibility and stop there.
Apply a weighted criteria of evaluation (also called weighted decision matrix; here's an example: Page on cornell.edu to determine which of the alternatives is best. This will take the appearance of a spreadsheet with the possible solutions listed down the side, and the features, benefits and other factors of those solutions across the top. Each factor will be weighted for importance. One solution will stand out with a higher score than the others, and it could very well be surprising which one.)
I = Install - Implement the new solution. Apply Change Management techniques. Expect and plan for hurdles, delays and the unexpected. Culture shifts may be required. Ensure that people are following the new process step by step, not substituting their preferred method--or even retaining the old one!
M = Maintain - Check back regularly to ensure the process is still "on course". People will get lazy. People may even find a better way to accomplish the process, eliminating a step! Record all this data, any changes and the reasons why. Confirm that the new process is achieving the purpose you started the project for in the first place. If not, it's back to Select.
You just got the core of a 2-year program that produces only a handful of graduates every year. This is a specialized course of study. Apply it to your business and your clients' businesses.
I hope this post has given you some new ideas, and look forward to discussing it.
>> For Agency Founders: The Fast Shortcut To Selling SEO, Leadgen, Webdesign & Other Services
>> For Agency Founders: The Fast Shortcut To Selling SEO, Leadgen, Webdesign & Other Services